BYU's Vocal Point will sing another day on 'Sing-Off'

By Sharon Haddock , For the Deseret News

Published: Sunday, Aug. 2 2015 2:51 p.m. MDT

BYU's award-winning a cappella group, Vocal Point, has moved to the next round in NBC's television talent show "The Sing-Off." However, one of the group members had to return home to Australia to be with an ailing family member. (Lewis Jacob, Sony Pictures Television)

LOS ANGELES — Vocal Point, BYU's nine-man a cappella group minus one, still managed to impress the judges on NBC's "The Sing-Off" reality show enough that the judges kept them for another round of competition.

At stake is a Sony recording contract and $200,000.

The group in blue blazers sang, danced and wowed the audience and judges Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles and Shawn Stockman, with their talent, their execution and their sense of fun in "Jump, Jive an' Wail" despite the absence of Ben Murphy, who missed the competition because his father became gravely ill.

"You have so much personality," said Bareilles. "We were all taken on this awesome ride."

She said it's clear that the group gets along with each other well and their blend reflects that bond in their classic doo-woop approach.

Folds said the bass vocals were "wicked," the modulation was superb and the high note at the end earned the standing ovation just on its own.

Stockman said the Vocal Point's energetic number was "just entertaining" and Vocal Point kept it together without Murphy though the baritone was missed.

"We conquered the world with happiness," said one of the jubilant group members as the cameras captured their reaction.

"The Sing-Off" showed a video on each group and for Vocal Point, it showed them in Provo, Utah, at places around the city and the Brigham Young University campus.

Vocal Point is one of the three groups that performed in the second half of the show that will be moving on to the next round. The other two groups moving on are Urban Method from Denver, Colo., and Kinfolk 9 from Los Angeles. The Cat's Pajamas, a semi-professional singing group from Branson, Mo., also performed, but was eliminated in the second hour of the two-hour show.

Three of the four groups that performed in the first half of the show are moving on the next round, including Afro-Blue from Howard University, the all-girl group Delilah and the University of Rochester's YellowJackets. The sibling singing group, the Fannin family, from Wisconsin, was eliminated.

Next week, eight more groups will perform and two more will be eliminated.

Sixteen vocal groups were chosen for the show from all over America in the third season of the show. Two groups will be eliminated each week until finally the television audience will choose the winner.